Religion *is* a Problem

“WASHINGTON — A hate-crimes bill passed Thursday by the House, extending coverage to people victimized because of sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, is attracting opposition from an unusual coalition of Christian leaders.”

“But some Christians are depicting it as a “thought-crimes” bill attacking 1st Amendment freedoms of speech and religion. A coalition of evangelical, fundamentalist and black religious leaders is mounting a furious assault on the bill, airing television ads and mobilizing members to stop its progress. And President Bush has said he may veto the measure.

If the bill, approved 237-180, were to become law, opponents say, a pastor could be held liable for giving a sermon against homosexuality if a listener later attacked a gay individual.

“This legislation strikes at the heart of free speech and freedom of religious expression,” said Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition. “Statements critical of sexual orientation or gender identity can be prosecuted if those statements were part of the motivation of a person committing a crime against a homosexual or cross-dresser. … Pastors’ sermons can be considered hate speech under this bill.”

The bill’s supporters say this is nonsense, and that a sermon could never be considered an inducement to violence unless it explicitly advocated it.

“The only people who ought to fear this bill are people who would say to another human being, `You ought to do violence against someone else,’.” said Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), who earlier added an amendment to the bill reaffirming the principles of the 1st Amendment. “I don’t know of any man of God who would take to any pulpit and advocate that.”"

From the Chicago Tribune >

The idea that opponents to this bill put forward as their reason for not wanting it to pass is ludicrous. The rights of a group of people to be protected from violence and hate speech should never kowtow to religious doctrine. To say that this bill might somehow lead to injustice is just about as backward as it gets.